Google Maps GPS off by 300 Miles!

[Lazerlike42]

Apologies if this has alreasdy been addressed; I searched the forums and found many threads about the gps, but I didn't see any with my specific problem.

In any case, I'm in New Jersey. When it's just using the Wireless towers, Google Maps knows where I am. It often sits there with the GPS icon flashing to indicate trying to connect, but when it does connect, it suddenly thinks I am in New Hampshire. So it's off by several hundred miles.

Now, I normally am in Massachusetts, so my guess is that google maps is searching for the satellites that serve that area, and, when its finally connecting to one, thinking I'm in NH.

I've tried turning off the phone, I've tried *228 option 2 as the "apparent GPS failure" thread suggested, and I've tried going into the manage applications settings to clear and caches for the maps program, but it is grayed out.

Any thoughts?

 

[blyons]

I'm not a Droid expert - just got mine a few days ago.

But I can tell you that GPS satellites orbit the earth, so cannot serve just one area. The location is determined by the precise timing of the signals from the satellites as they pass over. The more satellites overhead at the moment the more precise the location can be determined. At any given instant, there may be only 1 or 2 satellites visible, so occassionally it can take a few minutes to have more come into range and calculate your position. This can be exaggerated by being surrounded by skyscrapers. Inside some buildings or tunnels or caves can prevent operation altogether.

If you are outside and it cannot pinpoint your location within a few minutes, my guess would be there is a problem with the GPS receiver circuitry in your unit.

 

[pilot25]

Something is going on with the system because my Maps isn't showing my location and tracking like it normally does. At one point it showed me in Iowa and I'm in D.C.

 

[Lazerlike42]

Well, as soon as I got back into my usual area it picked up where I was pretty quickly. However, I left the gps on the entire ride home and it didn't figure it out until I got back within an hour or so of home, so the whole "let it figure out where it is" thing didn't work.

It's not just Google Maps, either. I picked up the GPS status app, and even when it was connected to several sattelites, the lattitude and longitude were way off. Google Mas was showing the proper location for the lat. and long. that the GPS was giving it.

 

[blyons]

After further thought, reading other similar threads, and playing with the GPS Status app (very cool), I now suspect that many are experiencing some terrestial interference or overload. You might want to try experimenting with the filters in the GPS Status app.

I wish I could offer more.